CVE-2022-40684

Q: How do I fix CVE-2022-40684?

Published advisories record a fix for 2 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Q: Is CVE-2022-40684 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2022-40684 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. CISA has also linked it to known ransomware campaigns. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2022-11-01. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.

Q: How severe is CVE-2022-40684?

CVE-2022-40684 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

Q: What does CVE-2022-40684 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for fortios (NVD), fortiproxy (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

CRITICALCISA KEVEPSS 100th pctl

9.8

CVSS v3

NVD

Description

An authentication bypass using an alternate path or channel [CWE-288] in Fortinet FortiOS version 7.2.0 through 7.2.1 and 7.0.0 through 7.0.6, FortiProxy version 7.2.0 and version 7.0.0 through 7.0.6 and FortiSwitchManager version 7.2.0 and 7.0.0 allows an unauthenticated atttacker to perform operations on the administrative interface via specially crafted HTTP or HTTPS requests.

CWE-287Improper Authentication

How to fix

Remediation Available

fortiosNVD

Affected:>= 7.2.0, < 7.2.2Fixed in:7.2.2CVE-2022-40684derived from NVD

fortiproxyNVD

Affected:>= 7.0.0, < 7.0.7Fixed in:7.0.7CVE-2022-40684derived from NVD

TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorNetwork

Attack ComplexityLow

Privileges RequiredNone

User InteractionNone

ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploit Intelligence

99.98%probability of exploitation in 30 days

100thpercentile

Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 100% of all known CVEs.

Known Exploited Vulnerability (CISA KEV)

Fortinet Multiple Products Authentication Bypass Vulnerability

Fortinet FortiOS, FortiProxy, and FortiSwitchManager contain an authentication bypass vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated attacker to perform operations on the administrative interface via specially crafted HTTP or HTTPS requests.

Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Remediation due: 2022-11-01

Associated with ransomware campaigns

References

Exploit2

Vendor Advisory1

fortiguard.com

Government Resource1

cisa.gov

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-287 (Improper Authentication) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVE	Severity	CVSS	EPSS	Exploited	Fix
CVE-2023-35082	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2023-35078	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV + Ransom	Fix
CVE-2017-7921	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV	-
CVE-2024-7593	Critical	9.8	100%	KEV	-
CVE-2023-46805	High	8.2	100%	KEV + Ransom	-
CVE-2020-0688	High	8.8	100%	KEV + Ransom	-

Common questions

How do I fix CVE-2022-40684?

Published advisories record a fix for 2 affected products. The "How to fix" section on this page lists the fixed version and source advisory for each one, so apply the entry matching what you actually run.

Is CVE-2022-40684 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2022-40684 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation has been observed in the wild. CISA has also linked it to known ransomware campaigns. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 2022-11-01. Treat it as a priority whatever its CVSS score says.

How severe is CVE-2022-40684?

CVE-2022-40684 has a CVSS v3 base score of 9.8, rated critical. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.

What does CVE-2022-40684 affect?

Published advisories record a fix for fortios (NVD), fortiproxy (NVD). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.

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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-01-14.